Diarhea & Gas

May 29, 2008

I have taken Sustiva & Truvada for at least four years and have been undetectable with the last test indicatiin a jump from 4.+ to 5.+ CD4 count. I just recently switched to Atripla and for about a month + I have had tremendous amounts of gas and diarhea. Every time I eat or drink something it is almost an instant reaction or at least within one hour. Is there anything I can do to stop this. I understand that sometimes this can happen as a result of the the medication. Would stopping the meds be an option or not? Also because of the incomplete digestion I have lost too much weight already and really concerned.

Thank you, Bruce Stokes

Response from Dr. Henry

A few other patients have noted increased stomach/gut problems when switching from Sustiva + Truvada to Atriple (the HIV drugs are the same but there may be somewhat different packing/filler chemicals). I would consider switching back to the Sustiva + Truvada if a clinical evaluation doesn't find any other possible explanations. Generally don't recommend stopping effective HIV treatment due to increased risk for clinical events and concern about resistance (when stopping efavirenz). KH

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